That stupid 10 minute "average" comes when you average the AA lines at LGA of 1 1/2 hours with the 0 minute wait to get through security to board a Beach 1900 with 2 passengers on it at Rutland, VT and many other little EAS cities. On Wed, 4 Dec 2002, cochs wrote: > > Knives, boxcutters seized at airports over Thanksgiving > > > - - - - - - - - - - - - > By Leslie Miller > > > > Dec. 3, 2002 | WASHINGTON (AP) -- > > Some passengers still haven't gotten the word about what they can and > can't take on planes. Seized at airports during the Thanksgiving > crush: 15,982 pocket knives, 98 boxcutters, six guns and a brick. > > Still, transportation officials said the airport chaos predicted by > many never occurred. Passengers waited less than 10 minutes on > average at security checkpoints during the first holiday travel > season since an all-federal work force took over screening. > > Michael Wascom, spokesman for a group representing the major > airlines, said operations were generally smooth even with bad weather > in some places. ``Passengers moved efficiently through the airports, > and customer service standards were upheld," said Wascom, spokesman > for the Air Transport Association. > > Since the Sept. 11 attacks, the government has tightened restrictions > on what can be taken on board a plane. > > Robert Johnson, spokesman for the Transportation Security > Administration, said many holiday travelers are inexperienced fliers > and don't realize they can't take knives, scissors, fireworks or > ammunition onto planes. If they try to, the prohibited items will be > confiscated. Passengers also could be prosecuted, a decision made by > law enforcement officials depending on the item and the > circumstances. > > Between Tuesday and Sunday, six people who tried to carry guns onto > planes were arrested: two at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport > and one each at New York's LaGuardia Airport, Cincinnati/Northern > Kentucky Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport and Dulles > International Airport outside Washington. > > ``We find the gun, we turn the passenger over to law enforcement at > the checkpoint," said Johnson. Charges vary, but most often they're a > variation on possession of a prohibited weapon, Johnson said. > > ``You're not allowed to have a gun at the airport without a permit," > he said. > > The TSA says that at the 38 busiest U.S. airports over the > Thanksgiving holiday, 1,072 clubs or bats were confiscated, 3,242 > banned tools and 2,384 flammable items, including a welding gun in > Boise, Idaho. Another 20,581 sharp objects -- such as scissors, ice > picks and meat cleavers -- also were stopped at the checkpoints. > Someone tried to bring a toy cannon made of live ammunition onto a > plane at Chicago O'Hare International Airport. > > A man tried to carry a brick onto a plane at Ronald Reagan National > Airport in Washington. > > ``I don't know why he would carry a brick," Johnson said. > > Though TSA can't make year-to-year comparisons because the data > collection method has changed, the six guns taken from 38 airports in > six days compare with 813 firearms taken from 429 airports in the > eight months from February to September. During that same period, > 783,670 knives and 31,064 boxcutters were seized, compared with > 15,982 pocketknives and 98 boxcutters over Thanksgiving. > > The prohibited items are turned over to local police, where they're > either kept as evidence or thrown away, Johnson said. > > The TSA hopes to better educate people about what they can take onto > airplanes by Christmas, when air travel will be complicated by new > gate check procedures and many more checked bags screened for > explosives. > > ``We would expect that, with the Christmas holiday, a lot of these > people will be back and we hope they'll learn their lesson," Johnson > said. > > The agency is slowly eliminating random security checks of passengers > at airport gates throughout the country. Six airports have been > phased in, and more will be by Christmas, Johnson said. Air travelers > must have their boarding passes in hand before being screened at > those airports where gate screening has been eliminated, even if they > don't check their luggage. > > Airlines are adding more self-service kiosks outside of the > checkpoints so travelers can get their boarding passes without > waiting in line at ticket counters, Johnson said. > > Airports will be gearing up to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to screen all > checked baggage for explosives. Despite a recent congressional > reprieve allowing the TSA another year, the agency will try to > implement new baggage-screening procedures at as many airports as > possible by year end, Johnson said. > > The number of bags that will be examined for explosives will > increase ``severalfold" by Christmas, Johnson said. > > Many of the details still need to be worked out, Johnson said. The > TSA still is working on such procedures as whether baggage can be > locked and how hand searches of luggage will be supervised. > > > > SkyOne--The Airline News Channel > To Post message: Skyone@yahoogroups.com > To Subscribe: Skyone-subscribe@yahoogroups.com > To Unsubscribe: Skyone-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com > List owner: Skyone-owner@yahoogroups.com > Skyone URL: > http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Skyone > > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > >